Method of and apparatus for oil distillation



pr. l0, 1923. v 1,451,129

J. W. VAN DYKE METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR OIL DISTILLATION Filed Aug. 15, 1919 FI@ fcfof /27 ef al a j? l Condenser Conde/7.560 o// cao/er Patented Apr. l0, i923.

uur arras iidit@ arrearerica,

JOHN W. VAN DYKE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ATLANTIC REFINING COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF ENNSYLVANEA.

METHOD Oli? ANJD APPARATUS FOR OIL DISTILLATION.

Application filed August 15, 1919. vSerial No. 317,693.

T'o aZZ whom firma/y concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. VAN DYKE,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Oil Distillation, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to -a method of and apparatus for distillation of oil, particularly mineral oil, as petroleum.

My invention resides in a method of distilling oil, as petroleum. by passing steam or equivalent medium therethrough while undergoing distillation, and re-using the steam to thereby efiect a saving thereof, with resultant less cost of the products resulting directly or indirectly from the distillation.

More particularly, my invention resides in a method of the character referred to, wherein the steam or equivalent is re-delivered into or forced through the oil undergoing distillation after withdrawing the same from such point in the system, as a point in the condensing system, upon reaching which the steam has undergone little or no condensation while the oil vapors have already been partially, largely or wholly condensed.

My invention resides further in a method of the character' referred to wherein thev steam after use in the system is withdrawn therefrom and compressed in any suitable way, preferably by an elastic motive fluid, preferably steam, which becomes admixed with and raises thepressure 'of the reclaimed steam, and is delivered in mixture into oil undergoing distillation, the excess steam accumulating being withdrawn from the system and the heat therein conserved, if desired. i

paratus comprising a still, and'means for delivering steam into the same, and reclaiming the steam and returnin it into the still. My invention resides urther in apparatus of the character referred to wherein the reclaimed steam is compressed, preferably by an ejector or aspirator, and the mixture of motive Huid and steam from the ejector or aspirator delivered into the still. My invention resides in the method and apparatus hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention resides in oil treatlng ap with resultant undesirable qualities of the residuum in the still. For example, in the production of lubricating oil, such dissociation or cracking reduces the lubricating qualities and the flaslrtest of the residue.

Employment of steam, however, shortens.

the time required for the distillation, prevents dissociation or cracking, and improves the quality of the residual oil.

In steam distillation of the character re, ferred to it is desirable to use large quantities of steam, which, however, adds to the cost of operation the cost of the largequantity of steam, and adds to the work imposed upon the condenser in that in addition to extracting heat from the oil vapors the heat inthe steam must also be extracted as Well as the heat in the condensed oil and water.

By my invention, however, recovery and re-use of a substantial portion of the steam is'eected, thereby reducing the amount of fresh or live steam required, and reducing the duty on the condenser, and secondly, permitting the use of a relatively smaller condenser, other things being the same.

n accordance with my invention, advantage is taken of the fact lthat the bulk 'of the steam is injected. into the still after the oil therein has reached a temperature of 350 degrees F., for example. ln passage of the oil vapors and steam in mixture through a condenser, the oil vapors are condensed, the vapors of the higher boiling point oils condensing first, leaving steam largely free from oil in uncondensed form, Accordingly steam is removed from the condenser or condenser system or line at such point therein that substantially all or a large part of the condensable oil vapors have been condensed before reaching such point, the conf densed oil vapors passing beyond such point in the condenser to be further cooled.

The steam so removed from the condenser is then compressed to necessary or suitable pressure and rea-introduced into the still to lil@ again perform its function in agitating the oll and preventing its dissociation or cracking, and again passing off with the oil vapors, Withdrawn from the condensing Vsysous forms my structure may take, referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawing, more or less diagrammatic in character, in which: i

lf ig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of apparatus embodying my invention and suitable for carrying out my method.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified contstruction involving the use of air-cooled condenser structure.

Referring to F ig. l, S is a still containing a charge of oil C heated in any suitable way, as by combustion of fuel inthe fire box or furnace F. A vapor line or pipe V affords communication between the still S andthe condenser coil or Worm C contained in any suitable receptacle R into which cooling fiuid, as water, is introduced through the pipea and carried off through the outlet pipe b. The outlet c of the condenser communicates with any suitable receptacle for the condensed oil vapors constituting the distillate. Within the body of 'oil C in the still is a pipe structure having numerous perforations and communicating with the steam pipe p, which heretofore has been directly connected to a source of steam, as a steam boiler. At the point d, preferably at a distance from the inlet end of the condenser coil C such that before reaching that point all or a large part of the oil vapors have been condensed, is connected the pipe e, controlled by valve f, and communieating with the suction or inlet of any suitable compressor, as for example and preferably, an ejector or aspirator E comprising,

yas wellunderstood, a motive fluid nozzle structure which delivers expanded elastic motive fluid, as steam, at high velocity for entraining another Huid which in mixture therewith rises in pressure in a diffuser or thelike while losing kinetic energy. The pipe g, controlled by valve h, communicates with a boiler or any other suitable source of steam constituting the motive fluid expanded in the nozzle structure of the ejector. IThe mixture of motive fluid steam and the steam reclaimed through the pipe e is 'then delivered into the pipe p and reintroduced into the still S.

The operation is as follows:

The oil C is heated Within the still S and steam passed therethrough to agitate the same, to prevent dissociation or cracking distillation, and to assist in rapidly carrying od' the distillate oil vapors resulting from the distillation, the steam and oil vapors passing in mixture through the vapor line V to a condenser coil C. The oil vapors are more or less completely condensed, before reaching the point d, while the steam remains as such and at suitably high ternp'erature, asfor example, 215 to 250 degrees F. At the point d the pressure of the steam is generally somewhat above atmospheric pressure, as for example, one pound per square inch gauge. The motive fluid steam being admitted through the pipe g and valve z. tothe nozzle structure of the ejector E, the same produces a suction in well known manner, thereby exhausting the steam from the condenser coil C through the pipe e and valve f, into the suction chamber of the ejector, where itis entrained and mixed with the motive fluid steam from the pipe g, the mixture of the two masses of steam being projected at high velocity into the diifuser tube of the ejector, where the pressure ofthe mixture is raised to any suitable value,'for example, live pounds per square inch with a corresponding temperature of about 228 degrees F., this pressure being ample to force the desired amount of steam through thepipe p and through the perforations in the pipe P into the oil O. The steam reintroduced into the still S, in mixture With some fresh steam, that used as the motive fluid in the nozzle structure of the' ejector, performs the same function as before, again passes from the still through th vapor line V to the condenser C, and is again Withdrawn through the pipe e, again compressed and again introduced into theA still, and so on.

However, dueto the use of the steam for motive iiuid in the ejector,the total quantity of steam in the system would increase. substantially constant amount of steam circulating through the system is maintained by allowing the excess or accumulation of steam to pass offthrough the'pipe z' controlled by the valve j, which may be suitably throttled to allow escape of practicallv the same amount of steam constantly intro-v duced into the system from the pipe 0. The steam passing off throughL the plpe z' may be used for any suitable purpose, as for example, heating boiler feed water or in any other way conserving the heat contentof the surplus steam.

In F ig. 2 the arrangement is in general the same as that described in connection with Fig. 1, except thatthere intervenes between the still S and the water'cooled condenser worm C .the air-cooled condenserK of any suitable type or structure. ,ln this casev the point al at which the reclaimed steam is withdrawn need not be so far along the coil C from the inlet end thereof, and may be at any suitable point, as at the end or outlet of the air-cooled condenser K, or

racines;

beyond-the inlet to the condenser worm C, as illustrated.

' From any suitable air-cooledsection K and thev water-cooled sectionV C, there may be drawn off throughthe valve *o to the cooler coil or worm C1 the higher boiling point oils whose vapors havebeen condensed in the air-cooled condenser section K. rlhe worm or coil C1 is cooled by wat'er entening the cooling tank R1 as at a1, and flowing out of the same, as at b1.

The operation is substantially thel same as that described in Fig. VA1, all or a suitable part of the oil vapors being condensed before reaching the point d, at which the steam arrives as such without having undergone material condensation, land is* then Withdrawn, compressed, and returned into the still S, thel surplus or accumulating steam being again carried oli through' the pipe l and its valve 7' suitably adjusted for the purpose.

By way of example merely, and without limiting my invention thereto, it may be stated that in operating a still S of 1000 barrels charging capacity at the usual rate ot'` production .of distillate of from 30 to 40 barrels. per hour, the point d where the reclaimed steam is withdrawn from the system, may be located at such point that themixture of steam and oil vapors has passed about400 square' feet of condensing surface when water cooled or about 1200 square feet of condensing surface when air cooled.

By way of further example, and without limitation of my invention thereto,I it may be 'stated that when using as motive fluid delivered through the pipe g steam at a pressure of from to 100 pounds per square inch and compressing the reclaimed or recovered steam from ,the pipe e from about atmospheric pressure to -a pressure of about five pounds per square inch, it is found possible to deliver for each pound of motive iiuid steam a total of two pounds of steam to the pipe p, said twoi pounds including the one pound motive Huid steam. Accordingly the amount of fresh steam required for the operation of the still during the period when steam can be recovered is reduced by about one-half, and accordingly the condenser structure is called upon to condense and cool about one-half the usual amount of steam.

lt will be understood that my invention is not limited to the reintroduction of the steam into the same still from which it has passed, for my invention comprehends the withdrawal ofthe steam Kfrom .one system and introduction into the oil undergoing distillation in a different still or system.

lt will be understood that the structure illustrated is diagrammatic in character, and

point, 'as between the that the various dimensions and arrangements of parts may be anything suitable or desirable, and that Various-modifications and changes will occur to those skilled ini-the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is: 1

1. The method .of distilling oil, which consists in raising the oil to distilling temperature in the presence of steam of lower temperature, withdrawing steam from the resultant mixture of steam and distillate, impelling the withdrawn steam by motive fluid steam Ain contact therewith, and introducing the mixture of steam into oil undergoing distillation at a temperature higher than the temperature of said mixture.

2. The method of distilling oil, Awhich consists in applying heat thereto and simultaneously passing SteamtherethrOugh, withdrawing steam from the resultant mixture of steam and distillate, ejecting the steam withdrawn with motive Huid' steam, and passing the mixture into oil undergoing distillation at'a temperature higherv than the temperature of said mixture.

3. The method of distilling oil, which consists in heating said oil to distilling temperature, passing steam of lower temperature therethrough, withdrawing steam from the resultant mixture of steam and distillate, ejecting the steam withdrawn with motive Huid steam, and returning the resultant steam into the oil undergoing distillation ata temperature higher than the temperature of the steam. A

4. The method of distilling oil, which consists in passing steam through the oil while independently heating the same to distilling temperature, cooling the resultant mixture of steam and oil vapors to a point causing condensation of' the oil vapors without condensation of steam, withdrawing. the steam, ejecting withdrawn steam, ywith motive iuid steam, and passing the mixture into-oil undergoing distillation at -a temperature higher than the temperature of said mixture.

5. rlhe method of distilling oil, which consis'ts in applying heat thereto and simultaneously passing steam therethrough, cooling the resultant mixture of steam and oil by subjecting the same in succession to the cooling effects of air and liquid. withdrawing the steam after the oil vapors have been condensed, raising the pressure of the steam, and reintroducing it into oil undergoing distillation.

6. The method of distilling oil, which consists in heating it to distillingtemperature,

introducing steam of lower temperature, cooling the resultant mixture of steam and oil' vapors by subjecting the mixture in succession to the cooling el'ects of air and liquid, withdrawing the steam after the oil valll@l pors have been condensed, and reintroducing the steam into the oil undergoing distillation at a temperature higher than the temperatureof the reintroduced steam.

7. Oil treating apparatus comprising a still, means for introducing steam into said still, condenser structure communicating with said still and comprising air and Water cooled sections, and means for returning steam from said condenser structure into said still connected With said condenser structure at a point in advance of which the oil vapors have been condensed.

' 8. Oil treating apparatus comprising a still, means for introducing steam into said still, condenser structure communicating With said still and comprising air and Water cooled sections, and means for returning steam from said condenser structure into Vsaid still connected with said condenser structure at a point beyond the air cooled section thereof.

9. Oil treating apparatus comprising a still,\means for heating oil therein to distilling temperature, a steam-actuated ejector,

' a conduit conducting the discharge of said ejector extending into said still and delivering steam beneath the surface of the oil, condensing structure communicatingr with said still, and means communicating with the suction of said ejector conducting steam thereto from al point in advance of which the oil vapors are condensed.

10. Oil treating apparatus comprising an externally fired still,` a member Within said still submerged beneath the surface of the oil therein for delivering steam into the Merise mass of oil, a steam-actuated ejector discharging into said member, condensing structure through which steam and oil va pors are conducted to said still, and a connection delivering steam to the suction of pors are -delivered from said still, and a.k

steam-actuated ejector withdrawing steam from said condensing structure and returning it directly to said means extending into said mass of oil.

12. .Oil treating apparatus comprising a still,.means for heating oil therein to distilling temperature, means extending into the mass of oil in said still and delivering steam beneath the surface of the oil, condensing structure to which steam and oil vapors are delivered from said still, an ejector for Withdrawing steam from said condensing structure and raising it in pressure, means between said condenser and said ejector for drawing od excess steam, and means for delivering the steam operated upon by the ejector into said means extending into said mass of oil.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto affixed my signature this 13th day of August. 1919.

Jona W. van nrnn. 

